Which pieces to keep and which to exchange is one of the most important questions in chess. This is true in the opening, the middlegame and the endgame. Less experienced players often think exchanging means to swap pieces of equal value and fail to take strategic factors into account. The "feeling" for the right exchange is something a chessplayer has to develop over time. This DVD wants to help to develop this "feeling“.

The Chess Player's Mating Guide - The King in the Centre - VOL. 1 - IM Robert Ris

Catalog Code: WIN0483CB

In this first volume of the new Mating Guide series, the emphasis will be on how to exploit a vulnerably placed king in the centre. With 10 chapters, 20 illustrative games and key themes including a lead in development, preventing castling, the open e-file and different kinds of sacrifices, this DVD will show you everything you need to know to master mid-board showdowns. The level of the content means it is relevant to both beginners as well as master level players - as both elementary examples (also from my own practice) as well as classical attacking games by elite grandmasters are analysed in detail.

GM Nicholas Pert about his DVD: “After the success of my previous DVD Typical mistakes by 1600-1900 players I decided to produce a follow up DVD aimed at players of a slightly higher level. The examples all come from games played by players with a rating between 1800 and 2100. This DVD offers slightly more complex material than the previous DVD, and will hopefully provide an insight into what I believe are the main errors which stop players of this level to be more successful."

Here IM Paschall analyzes his own games and all of the factors that played into the game progression. While walking through the games Bill gives you tools to build your own game analysis skills to study your own games and learn from them.

Are you serious about becoming a strong, perhaps even titled, player? Positional chess understanding is what separates the great from the good. Imagine you’re in the last round of a major international tournament, half a point behind your opponent. A victory will guarantee 1st place and a $20,000 prize. As you play, everything on the board is clear to you. You play moves restricting your opponent until he can only shuffle his pieces back and forth whilst yours grow ever more powerful. When every piece is ideally placed, you smash open the position, your opponent defenceless. A short while later, he offers his hand in resignation and you know you’ve done it!

It is the imbalances in chess that make for really exciting games. Whether it be exchanging a knight for 2 pawns or your Queen for 3 minor pieces, you will be reaching far more positions with winning chances than players who miss these opportunities. Understanding how to change the nature of the game with piece imbalances shows real chess insight and creativity and this 3 ½ hour DVD from FM Alisa Melekhina is a comprehensive course on how to do just that.

If you want to improve your strategic play then it is important to study GM level strategic games with clear explanations. This was the inspiration for this Course from GM Damian Lemos, “Crushing Strategy”. Featuring 4 deeply analyzed games, GM Lemos reveals what the winners saw in the position that their opponent did not and the thinking process that allowed them to create a long-term strategy. It is this way of looking at the position and formulating a plan which will be of great help in taking the ambitious chess player’s game to the next level.

To win games against strong players you need an extra set of skills to the usual attacking ideas. There are many careful players who will close the position or passively defend until you try something too optimistic, giving away material or making a concession which eventually allows them to win. Incredibly frustrating! To beat these guys you need to master the art of positional chess and that is exactly what GM Damian Lemos helps you achieve in “Positional Mastery”. By studying the textbook examples in this Course you will learn how to constantly ask questions of your opponent, forcing them to solve subtle problems until they make a mistake and you win.

Bryan takes us through various strategies for using Pawns in your game. Illustrated with real games the lectures cover topes of : Pawns In the attack, Petrosian's Pawn Artistry, Doubled Pawns and Weak Squares, Break the Rules Sometimes, Breaking Through the Pawn Chain.

As the National Head Coach for the English Chess Federation I train many improving players, and see some typical mistakes that repeat themselves. In this DVD I have taken a large collection of games played by players, predominantly in the rating range 1600-1900, and I have looked for typical mistakes. Each theme has several examples to demonstrate typical mistakes, and there are various test throughout the DVD so that the viewer can try and find the best move in certain positions. This should be a great tool for players to use in order to improve their middlegame and endgame play. It will hopefully also highlight any areas that you need to work on in order to improve quickly. Enjoy the DVD!

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the original ''Basics of Winning Chess'', Andrew Martin is back with version 2.0 of his best-selling DVD. Chess has changed dramatically over the last decade and standards seem higher than ever. We must attempt to keep up! It is often said that the strongest players operate like machines. Once they get a winning position, they win it. Version 2.0 draws extensively from modern chess practice. Virtually all the games are instructive and of high quality. Nearly all are from recent times and many have notes, which you may use for extra study. It gives you a roadmap for improvement. The DVD will be particularly useful for players within the rating band 1200-2200. It is a tour of the modern game.”

This DVD consists of studying the strategic game, while acting as a guide for learning how Super GMs dominate positional chess. Over the course of these videos you will see master games explained in-depth by GM Lemos, placing emphasis on every move, explaining the motive and the distinct reasoning and thinking that causes GMs to make certain decisions.

This DVD shows us the secrets of chess strategy at the highest level through extensively-analyzed master games. Emphasizing the correct plans and ideas at every moment, it is a series for advanced players to complement their training with an aspect more difficult than tactics.

In chess, like in real life, one frequently faces temptations: to grab a pawn, to occupy an open file, to start a kingside attack and so on. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with all these ideas, but before undertaking such concrete actions, one should be sure the position is ripe for it. The second DVD deals with the middlegame positions where static factors play a determining part, permanently taking into account the inseparable dynamic and tactical elements. The videos are interactive, featuring training questions in the critical moments. You can further sharpen your skills with the included database, which contains games covering themes that correspond to the ideas presented on the DVD.

Within this DVD the viewer will learn a great deal about Middlegame Pawn structures. Ivan looks at isolated pawns, symmetrical pawns and a vast array of other structures, whilst teaching us some valuable lessons. Ivan does this by first building up the position from its bare roots and then adding material, so each aspect of the position is understood.

Aimed at club, congress and county players, this DVD provides a vital insight into how a grandmaster thinks and the reasoning behind his choice of moves. In this DVD, Danny provides useful guidance to players who are looking to improve their thinking during a game by analysing the typical strategic plans from the opening until late in the middlegame. Are you ready to go beyond the basics? If the answer is a resounding ‘yes’ then follow Danny as he explains the fundamental ideas and principles behind some of the most complex and challenging positions.

Understanding how to use pawns and how to handle different pawn structures are important topics for young or improving players to consider. On this new ChessBase DVD, IM and FIDE Senior Trainer Andrew Martin investigates the notion that ‘pawns are the soul of chess’ and tries to explain exactly what this means. The effective use of pawns in the opening leads to the correct development of the pieces and a good game springs naturally from there. The pawn structure must be considered throughout the game and this is something that Martin also touches upon. The viewer will be treated to a tour of excellent games, both old and new, many from the period 2012-2014, which highlight key ideas about the correct use of pawns and from which one cannot fail to improve one’s technique. Thus this DVD is ideal for players below 1800 or indeed ambitious players of any level.

Defend Like a Super Grandmaster with Maxim Dlugy is an instructional DVD focusing on how to play in difficult and sometimes losing positions. Maxim Dlugy looks at some of the most important games in his career, outlining various techniques in saving bad positions or defending positions where your opponent has the initiative. All the key moments in the games are examined and after watching the video you are ready to save and even win bad positions.

The DVD is divided into 4 parts and is presented by FM Alisa Melekhina with an honest look at how she is striving to improve her own ability when 'Converting Advantages' as this in area she has struggled with in the past.

GM Jesse Kraai explains how to use the old Russian rule set to evaluate Tempo in chess. What is Tempi or Tempo in Chess? “The gaining or losing of time and effectiveness relative to one's continued mobility or developing position, especially with respect to the number of moves required to gain an objective: Black gained a tempo”.

CHESSDVDS.COM IN SPANISH - FOXY OPENINGS #86 - Dynamics of Strategy and How to Create a Plan - VOL. 2

Catalog Code: DVD0002ES

All the Basic tactical ideas are discussed fully, followed by a series of very recent illustrative games, where we will see all that ideas in action . On this dvd you will gain confidence in your ability to handle tactics when they crop up over the board and who knows, you may be able to land some tactical knockouts yourself!

In this DVD Eugene stresses “It is the pawns that define our middle game, attacking potential and control of empty squares”. Gain his insight and strategically winning tips. Instructive tips about keeping the tension in a position, both in theory and in practice.

How should systematic chess coaching be structured so that students are able to use their freshly acquired knowledge in their own games? Author Stefan Becker came to an astonishingly simple answer. The solution to every chess problem lies on the board.

Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. One of the most dominant players in the history of the game, Steinitz was unbeaten in over 25 years of match play.

FOXY OPENINGS - VOL. 144 - Easy to Learn Step by Step Strategies On How to Think and Play Like A GrandMaster

Catalog Code: DVD0144FX

GM Gareev blasting through The 2012 North American Open scoring 8 out of 9 points and achieving a 2890 Fide performance rating!!
This DVD is a step by step guide to improve Your chess and reach your desired goals. GM Gareev will explain his thought process in tournament play, analysis and a lesson plan on concepts, tactics and strategies that will improve your game and give you a road map on thinking and playing like a GrandMaster.
Openings covered Queens Indian, Pirc, Grunfeld, Queens Gambit Accepted & Declined, Hedgehog, Exchange Ruy Lopez, Tactical Ideas in The Italian Game

In this instructive and entertaining book, Grandmaster Neil McDonald studies in depth the key components of successful rule-breaking in chess. Drawing upon his own experience and using examples from modern grandmaster chess, McDonald examines how to avoid stereotypical thinking, how to exploit typical thinking patterns, and how to confuse and beat opponents with surprising ideas.

GM Eugene Perelshteyn earned his third GM norm and the title GM after sharing first place in the 2006 Foxwoods Open, He won the Samford Chess Fellowship in 2002, awarded to the top American Player under 25 years old earning $64,000, Eugene also led the Unversity of Maryland, Baltimore County to a few Pan American championships from 1998-2002.

GM Jesse Kraai currently resides in Berkeley, California. His most notable chess achievements are winning the Denker Tournament of High School Champions in 1989 and 1990, and competing in the U.S. Championship from 2002-2006.